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Attuned      It’s a few weeks before Christmas.   Kim, my enthusiastic French horn teacher, has gathered all the Portland horn players she knows to play together in her garage.   In seven months, she will cajole me into joining the Rose City Pride Marching Band and I’ll debut at the Portland Pride parade […]

It’s Saturday evening. Jane and the kids are out. I’m sitting contentedly on the tan Eames chair. Dinking around on my phone. I notice a desire to feel seen, appreciated, loved. I want to feel a meaningful connection. Instead of sitting with the desire—to see if it dissipates or getting into my head to puzzle

I received the email below after I sent the newsletter about edamame beans and trying to choose being amused over being annoyed. I had included a new photo and revised bio with the newsletter.   ///     _Rabbi,_ _This is one of your best posts. It has a lot of beans and food for

What follows is a compilation of things that I’ve picked up about mourning. I hope you find comfort. 💙rB • rabbi_brian@rotb.org   *** – Grief – *** Grief is the final stage of love.Grief is love with no place to go.   *** – Permission – *** Don’t worry about what you think you ought to

Most every Friday, I bake mini-loaves of challah bread. Most of which I give, still warm, to neighbors.   The word companion is made of two root words: con (with) and pan (bread). The people with whom you share bread are your companions.   That’s why I share it.     ***     Because I don’t

A letter to James, who had the same Buddhist teacher as me—Nagy. Dear Brother,    You told me that a new friend of yours wanted to connect with Hebrew Israelites.   I found the group’s headquarters in Los Angeles.  4395 Leimert Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90008   They should be able to connect him with

“Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.” Maya Angelou /// I stand at the kitchen counter making two large salads—one for Jane’s and one for my lunch. As I add a handful of the protein-packed light green beans, I ponder, “is edamame the name of the

Passover is a week-long Jewish celebration starting on the 15th of Nisan—which in the Gregorian calendar can range from March 25-April 24. For 2023, it’s Tuesday April 4. Traditionally there is a communal meal—a seder—at the home, focusing on the theme of freedom. The iconic food of Passover is matzah—unleavened bread. Traditionally people refrain from

It’s hard to wake up when the alarm goes off.   Daylight saving time means that I’m back to getting dressed and taking the dogs out for their morning walk with a flashlight.   It’s still dark as we return to the house and I continue with my morning routine.   I start Jane’s coffee,

*** 01 Dog guilt *** My sharp shout, “Hey!” scared Sparky, my beloved, small, dachshund-chihuahua mix. His little face looks up and says—I like to believe I know what he’s thinking—“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to. I didn’t know.” But he and I both know what he did. The single piece of